As a writer and a reader, the fun of fairy tales is that the stories can be adapted again and again in new and different ways.

Amanda Ashley’s 2014 historical romance/fantasy novel, Beauty’s Beast is new twist on Beauty And The Beast.

At the young age of 17, Kristine was accused and found guilty of murdering a man who tried to take advantage of her. She is soon to meet her fate at the gallows. That is until she receives an unexpected marriage proposal.

Erik Trevayne is widely known as the Demon Lord of Hawksbridge Castle. Cursed soon after the death of his first wife, Erik marries Kristine because he wishes to have a child before the curse takes a complete hold of him. But what starts as a marriage of convenience turns into something more. Will Erik and Kristine be able to undo the curse or will Erik spend the rest of his days as a beast?

I have not read this genre in a long time. The book was surprisingly good. What hooked me as a reader was the human aspect of the characters. While there are the traditional elements of the genre written into the plot, Erik and Kristine both have their fair share of heartache. It is that heartache that binds them together and draws the reader into the story.